Effects of intentional doping on the thermoelectric properties of copper oxide and zinc oxide films

Abstract

Semiconductor doping is a growth process that affects the thermoelectric properties of a material. In this study, the effects of nitrogen doping in copper oxide (Cu_xO) and aluminum doping in zinc oxide (ZnO) on the Seebeck coefficient were investigated. The films were fabricated via spray pyrolysis deposition. The fabricated samples were characterized by performing Raman spectroscopy. The voltage outputs were measured against the change in temperature and plotted on a graph, from which the Seebeck coefficient of each sample was derived. The Raman spectra indicate that the Cu_xO and ZnO films were successfully fabricated, with Cu_xO predominantly consisting of cupric oxide (CuO). The measured Seebeck coefficient was increased from 0.231 to 0.357 mV/K for Cu_xO and from 0.055 to 0.158 mV/K for ZnO after doping. The results imply that intentional doping increases the Seebeck coefficient of both film oxide samples.